Connecticut
Flush With Cash, This Nonprofit Wants to Rewrite Connecticut’s Fiscal Rules
There’s a powerful, well-funded political machine operating in Connecticut — and it’s not coming from the state Capitol. It’s a private, tax-exempt nonprofit with deep ties to progressive academia, national advocacy movements, and left-leaning foundations. It’s called The Connecticut Project (TCP). With deep financial reserves and influence, this group is spending millions to reshape the state’s policies, politics, and future in its own image.
Through its 501(c)(3) nonprofit and 501(c)(4) political lobbying arm — The Connecticut Project Action Fund — TCP is funneling millions into advocacy groups to advance a broad progressive agenda.
The organization describes itself as a “social change organization” focused on overhauling the state’s economy, housing system, and public services.
Their goals may be well-intended, but they come with a high price tag — including expanded government-subsidized housing, universal pre-K, broader “financial safety net programs,” job subsidies, and so-called “wealth-building supports”
TCP wants the state’s spending priorities and policymaking to be steered by and for low-income and “asset-limited” households. That includes pushing for expanded access to healthcare, criminal justice reform, and “specific needs of immigrants.”
The group’s 2024 report lays out their plan.
They’re not just pushing policy — they’re running a statewide marketing campaign. TCP has poured money into billboards, glossy mailers, bus ads, and even grocery cart ads to push their message. They’re also hiring part-time foot soldiers at $25 an hour to knock on doors and rally support.
According to their most recent tax filings, TCP spent just over $9 million in Connecticut in 2023 while amassing a $22.7 million war chest. Nearly $6 million in grants went to groups like Husky 4 Immigrants, the Connecticut Tenants Union, and the Partnership for Strong Communities — all pushing policies like rent control, higher taxes, expanded public services, immigration reform, and efforts to dismantle state’s fiscal guardrails.
How they’re funded remains unclear. Donor privacy laws shield contributors on both sides of the aisle. But TCP isn’t just bankrolling activism — it’s shaping the policy agenda. Last year, the group partnered with Yale’s Tobin Center to release a study outlining how the state’s fiscal guardrails should be rewritten.
The report argues that the current guardrails — especially the volatility and spending cap — are too rigid and have put “billions of dollars of revenue out of reach.”
In a CT Mirror op-ed announcing the release of the paper, they warn that without changes, Connecticut is heading toward a “self-imposed budget cliff,” and that lawmakers will be forced to make “deep cuts to current services” despite projected surpluses.
Their solution is “redesigning the volatility cap” with a “dynamic” model based on a rolling average of past years, and adjusting the spending cap so it “keeps pace with Connecticut’s economic conditions.”
The volatility cap, enacted in 2017, was designed to prevent the state from using unpredictable sources of revenues — like capital gains taxes — to fund permanent programs. Instead, surplus revenue is directed toward the rainy-day fund and/or to pay down pension debt.
TCP’s goal isn’t just budget flexibility — it’s to make room for increased state spending on their priority projects.
The report was just the beginning. TCP is actively calling on lawmakers to weaken the guardrails.
In an April 2025 press release, the group responded to proposed federal cuts by urging lawmakers to suspend the rules entirely. “Working class and middle-class people are in a cost-of-living crisis,” said TCP’s Vice President of Advocacy Melvin Medina.
“If Connecticut doesn’t step up to responsibly adjust the fiscal rules, working people are going to literally pay the price,” Medina added. TCP also called for a budget that’s more “responsive,” urging lawmakers to use an emergency declaration to bypass the caps and unlock more spending on social programs.
Not Everyone is Convinced This is a Responsible Move
The Connecticut Business and Industry Association (CBIA) warns that the Tobin Center’s proposed “dynamic cap” could backfire — freeing up revenue in good years but setting the state up for shortfalls when markets take a downturn.
“These revenues remain volatile and can fluctuate up to 20% in any given year,” CBIA notes, pointing out that capital gains and pass-through entity taxes can drop sharply with little warning.
The Tobin Center assumes recent boom years are the “new normal,” but CBIA calls that a dangerous form of “recency bias where unusually strong recent performance (like the market gains of 2019-2024) may lead to overly optimistic projections.”
CBIA states that changing the cap now would come “at the expense of savings,” and highlights that “as a result of the contributions to the pensions system, Connecticut will save $737 million per year for the next 20 years.”
Public Opinion Echoes the Data
Connecticut voters overwhelmingly support the fiscal guardrails. A March 2025 poll conducted by Global Strategy Group (GSG) found that “voters are highly supportive of the fiscal guardrails,” and that support goes across party lines.
According to GSG’s findings “more than two-thirds of voters (69%) support the guardrails, including 65% of Democrats, 73% of Independents, and 73% of Republicans.”
Voters aren’t asking lawmakers to break the rules. They’re asking them to live within them.
The survey also found that once voters were told the state had “$900 million in additional spending room below the spending cap,” roughly three-in-four (76%) said that amount should be “enough money for the state to use without changing the guardrails.”
Even when opponents make their case, voters still want fiscal responsibility.
“Though hearing a statement from opponents of the guardrails does lower support somewhat, pro-guardrail messaging is highly effective and raises support back to baseline levels, above 80% support,” the study reported.
The study also notes that “the best reason to support the guardrails is the personal impact they have on Connecticut voters and the state’s fiscal future.” That includes helping the state “pay off interest on debt” and keeping the budget balanced — priorities shared by all three parties.
This puts TCP and its Yale allies on the wrong side of public opinion.
While TCP and the Tobin Center insist the guardrails are holding the state back, voters see them as a safeguard against exactly the kind of reckless spending Connecticut used to be known for. The idea that working families want lawmakers to dismantle the very rules that rebuilt the state’s finances just doesn’t hold up.
If anything, the public is asking lawmakers to do their jobs — not rewrite the rules every time someone wants to launch a new program.
The guardrails were put in place for a reason. They’ve stopped lawmakers from blowing through our tax dollars, helped pay down billions in pension debt, and brought some stability to a state where running in the red was the norm.
Adjusting the guardrails now to make room for more programs and bigger government isn’t responsible — it’s exactly what got Connecticut into trouble in the first place. Lawmakers shouldn’t fall for it. They need to stick with what works and not cave every time a well-financed special interest group wants more spending.
Connecticut
Connecticut influencer busted for going 112-mph over the speed limit after sharing video of the stunt online
A social media influencer in Connecticut who filmed himself driving at a whopping 137-miles per hour got busted after he shared footage of the stunt online.
Giovanni Petruzziello who owns a high-end car repair shop in North Haven, filmed himself driving his Porche zipping through a 25 mph zone at the breathtaking speed.
Petruzziello, 27, then shared the footage with his 250,000-plus Instagram followers.
Connecticut State Police allege Petruzziello reached speeds up to five times the posted limits on residential streets in the towns of Durham, Haddam, and Killingworth, reported the Daily Voice.
Petruzziello also allegedly filmed himself driving a Ferrari at 88 mph in a neighborhood with a 30 mph speed limit, the site reported.
Connecticut State Police
Another video shows him allegedly driving a Lamborghini at 112 mph on Route 79 in Durham, which has a posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Petruzziello also allegedly blew through stop signs and nearly hit other vehicles, the videos showed.
He was arrested during a May 19 traffic stop, and posted $150,000 bond for his release.
He was charged with seven counts of reckless driving and three counts of second-degree reckless endangerment.
The arrest comes a month after a dardeviling Connecticut motorcyclist was busted for YouTube videos he made, speeding down the highway at almost 200 miles an hour.
Petruzziello is the founder and owner of The LAB — short for Legends Auto Boutique.
The LAB customizes luxury and high-end foreign vehicles, according to its website.
More than 100,000 Connecticut residents will soon receive letters notifying them of medical debt relief, according to a community announcement.
Gov. Ned Lamont announced May 21 that the second round of an initiative, launched last year in partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, is underway. The program aims to eliminate medical debt for residents who meet specific income criteria.
Undue Medical Debt negotiates with hospitals and other providers to eliminate large portfolios of qualifying medical debt. To qualify, residents must have an income at or below four times the federal poverty level or have medical debt that is 5% or more of their income.
In this round, the state invested $575,000 of American Rescue Plan Act funding. Undue Medical Debt was able to negotiate with a secondary market partner to acquire and eliminate more than $100 million in qualifying medical debt. The first round, which occurred in December, eliminated approximately $30 million in medical debt for 23,000 residents.
Those who have been identified for relief will receive a branded envelope and letter from Undue Medical Debt in the mail over the next several days. (To view a sample of what this letter looks like, click here.)
“Medical debt causes additional anxiety and stress when individuals and families are coping with potentially life-threatening health situations,” Lamont said. “Over the next few days, more than 100,000 Connecticut residents who have been struggling to pay their medical bills will feel relief when they receive letters in the mail notifying them that their debt has been erased. I am hopeful that additional medical partners will soon sign onto this program to help more Connecticut families through further rounds of this initiative.”
Allison Sesso, CEO and president of Undue Medical Debt, expressed gratitude for the state’s continued partnership in providing medical debt relief.
“The erasure of these debts of necessity wouldn’t be possible without community-minded leaders like Governor Lamont and his team, who believe medical debt should not be a hindrance to seeking needed care,” Sesso said. “We look forward to continuing our work in the state so families can seek healthcare with dignity.”
State Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, co-chair of the legislature’s Public Health Committee, also praised the initiative.
“Medical debt can be a crippling burden on patients, especially those who are already struggling to make ends meet,” Vahey said. “Erasing medical debt for an additional 100,000 residents will greatly ease the stress they are facing and will free them up to focus on their health and well-being. Thank you to Governor Lamont and Undue Medical Debt for their leadership on this innovative program.”
There is no application process for this relief, as the debt erasure occurs through the purchase of large, qualifying bundled portfolios of debt from participating partners like hospitals and collection agencies.
Lamont plans to continue partnering with Undue Medical Debt for further rounds of medical debt cancellation. The governor and the Connecticut General Assembly have enacted legislation that makes $6.5 million in ARPA funding available for this initiative.
This story was created by reporter Beth McDermott, bmcdermott1@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct or share your thoughts at http://bit.ly/3RapUkA with our News Automation and AI team.
The Connecticut Sun will take on the Atlanta Dream on the road May 25.
Atlanta finished the 2024 regular season with a record of 15-25, good for fourth place in the WNBA’s Eastern Conference. Following the 2024 regular season, Atlanta lost in the first round of the playoffs to the New York Liberty 2-0.
The Dream’s roster that was announced prior to the 2025 regular season featured a blend of experience and emerging stars. One of the highlights of that roster was Brittney Griner. Her extensive list of career highlights includes 10 WNBA All-Star Game selections and three All-WNBA First Team selections
Here’s how to watch the Connecticut Sun game against the Atlanta Dream May 25.
How to watch and stream the game
The game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Boston. The game can also be watched on the WNBA’s website and streamed on WNBA League Pass.
Venue and start time
- Start time: 3 p.m. ET
- Venue: Gateway Center Arena @ College Park, Atlanta, Georgia
Connecticut Sun 2025 regular season schedule
Record: 0-2
- May 18: Washington Mystics (L 85-90)
- May 20: Las Vegas Aces (L 62-87)
- May 23: at Minnesota Lynx, 7:30 p.m. ET
- May 25: at Atlanta Dream, 3 p.m. ET
- May 27: Dallas Wings, 7 p.m. ET
- May 30: at Indiana Fever, 7:30 p.m. ET
- June 1: at New York Liberty, 3 p.m. ET
- June 6: Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. ET
- June 8: at Washington Mystics, 3 p.m. ET
- June 15: Chicago Sky, 12 p.m. ET
- June 17: at Indiana Fever, 7 p.m. ET
- June 18: Phoenix Mercury, 7 p.m. ET
- June 20: Dallas Wings, 7:30 p.m. ET
- June 22: at Golden State Valkyries, 8:30 p.m. ET
- June 25: at Las Vegas Aces, 10 p.m. ET
- June 27: at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m. ET
- June 29: at Minnesota Lynx, 7 p.m. ET
- July 6: Las Vegas Aces, 4 p.m. ET
- July 9: Seattle Storm, 11 a.m. ET
- July 11: at Seattle Storm, 10 p.m. ET
- July 13: at Los Angeles Sparks, 6 p.m. ET
- July 15: Indiana Fever, 8 p.m. ET
- July 24: Los Angeles Sparks, 7 p.m. ET
- July 27: Golden State Valkyries, 1 p.m. ET
- July 28: Seattle Storm, 7 p.m. ET
- August 1: New York Liberty, 7:30 p.m. ET
- August 3: New York Liberty, 1 p.m. ET
- August 5: at Phoenix Mercury, 10 p.m. ET
- August 7: at Los Angeles Sparks, 10 p.m. ET
- August 10: at Las Vegas Aces, 9 p.m. ET
- August 11: at Golden State Valkyries, 10 p.m. ET
- August 13: Chicago Sky, 7 p.m. ET
- August 17: Indiana Fever, 1 p.m. ET
- August 19: at Washington Mystics, 7:30 p.m. ET
- August 21: Washington Mystics, 7 p.m. ET
- August 23: at Chicago Sky, 4 p.m. ET
- August 25: at New York Liberty, 7 p.m. ET
- August 27: at Dallas Wings, 8 p.m. ET
- August 30: Minnesota Lynx, 7 p.m. ET
- September 1: Atlanta Dream, 1 p.m. ET
- September 3: at Chicago Sky, 8 p.m. ET
- September 6: Phoenix Mercury, 1 p.m. ET
- September 8: at Atlanta Dream, 7:30 p.m. ET
- September 10: Atlanta Dream, 7 p.m. ET
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